Beverage container



July 15, 1941. H. E. scHuL sE BEVERAGE CONTAINER Filed Nov. 8, 1937 \Tnuiuu A ATTORNEY I,IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlll "III Patented July 15, 1941.

2,249,051 BEVERAGE CONTAINER Herman E. Schulse, Miami, Fla. Application November 8, 1937, Serial No. 17-3,381

(c1. art-14) 1 7 Claims.

My present invention relates to shipp n cooling or dispensing kegs or barrels of the kind shown and described in my U. S. Patent No. 2,051,013, that is, kegs provided with a flow pas sage for the circulation of cooling fluid for cooling the contained brew preparatory to and during dispensing and during storage, and more particularly the invention relates to the metal keg embodiment.

The object of the present invention is to obtain the advantages of the keg disclosed in my said patent, with the additional advantages that the conduit for the circulation of the cooling fluid is provided without any obstruction of theinterior of the keg, and that any need of providing additional means for supporting the cooling coil to withstand mechanical stresses imposed thereon in transportation, particularly when the keg is empty, is obviated. Another object of the invention is to provide a metal keg of the above kind in which the cooling means does not necessitate reorganization of the structure of conventional metal kegs now on the market, but is of such formation that conventional metal kegs may readily be equipped therewith.

To these ends, and in accordance with the new invention, a. keg having spaced inner and outer walls, of which the inner wall, and usually the outer wall also, is of metal, is provided with a cooling fluid conduit attached to the inner wall and preferably at the lower part thereof, the

conduit being most desirably formed of metal tubing in the form of a helical coil in snug engagement with the inner wall of the keg on either the inner or the outer side thereof, butpreferably the outer side; and soldered or otherwise secured thereto-seas to be in good heat-conductive relation thereto The eonvolutions of the coil are thus ofgrea-t'er diametenthan those of my said prior patent and fewer convolutions afford the desired cooling'area;. and since the coiled tubing is supported by engagement with the keg wall and therefore not subject-to harmful stresses and vibrations in use, the tubing maybe of less expensive material than is required-for the coil of said patent. I

A full understanding of the invention can best i be given by a detail description in connection with a drawing illustrating an'approved embodiment of the invention, and such a description inner wall of the keg and of the tube iorming the cooling fluid conduit being shown in full lines Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of,Fig. -1 in the direction of the arrows and.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a keg illustrating a modified construction.

Referring to the drawing, the keg shown is of known form, having an inner wall III and a spaced oif outer wall II. The inner wall I is formed of two sheet metal stampings each of somewhat cup shape with their edges welded together as indicated by the line I! extending around the bilge oi the keg. The outer wall II is formed of two cup shaped sheet metalstampings and a bilge band l3 to which the edges of the two cup shaped parts are welded. The bilge band I3 is of channel sh tend inward fromthe outer wall II and bear on the inner wall. Annular sheet metal spacers II are set between the inner and outer walls at the' angles at the peripheries of the upper and lower head portions of the walls.

keg is thus provided having spaced inner and outer side walls and having its heads also formed of spaced inner and outer walls. A filling bung hole 15 extends through the bilge band l3 and the 1 inner wall, and the upper head has a draft outlet I 8 therein extending through the inner and outer walls. The keg is provided witha cooling fluid conduit formed by a metal tube 20 extending along and secured to the inner wall l0. As shown, and most desirably, the tube 20 is formed into a cofl which extends spirally about the inner wall "I in the space between the ends of the coil to terminal fittings 2| and 22 which are set in the outer wall II to provide an inlet and an outlet for cooling fluid supplied to flow through the coil. These terminal fittings are most desirably set in the outer wall 01' the upper head of the keg at suitably spaced points, and they may be of any suitable form for con-' nection to fluid supply and return lines, such, for

' example, as the branch connections from the will now be "given in connection with the a companying drawing, in which? Fig. 1 is asectional view of a double wall metal beer keg equipped with a cooling fluid conduit inaccordance with theinvention, a part of the supply and retum' mains or a cooling fluid supply installation such as shown and claimed in the Schulse patent. The coiled tube is attached to the irmer wall III by soldering or otherwise so as to secure good heat conductivity between it ,1 and the wall, and such portions as maybe 01' the the terminals are upwardly extending 1gends of the tube 168111113130 I o mostdesirably so secured A keg of substantially the same shape as the conventional wooden inner and outer walls, with the ends of the tube extending from the two and its edges extemperature.

to the walls. In order to avoid so far as possible loss of cooling eiiiciency through absorption of heat from the outer wall of the tube, the tube lower part of the keg most rapidly. The cooling coil is, therefore, most desirably positioned to extend about the lower part of the inner wall. When the coolingfluid is water at a temperature close to freezing, and the cooling conduit tube is of sufficient size and its coils are sufficiently close together. it will usually be suflicient tohave the coil extend only about that portion of the side inner wall which is below the bilge band II, as shown in Fig. 1 If, however, greater cooling capacity is desired, the coil may be extended over a greater portion of the inner wall either above or below, or both above and below, the portion about which the coil as illustrated extends. A coiled conduit or other flow passage or space extending over only that portion-of the inner wall In which forms the inner wall of the lower head of the keg will ordinarily not be sufiicient unless the cooling fluid is much colder than freezing The keg is thus provided with a flow space for the circulation of cooling fluid in heat-abstracting relation with the metal inner keg wall, and,

therefore, with the beverage, such space being in the structure shown in the form of a conduit extending spirally about a lower portion of the inner wall. The interior of the keg is entirely without any obstructing structure which might interfere with the insertion of a racking tube through the filling bimg hole II, or with a draft tube inserted through the draft outlet, even when the draft outlet is set ofi to one side of the center, or if the di-aft tube is set at an angle-to the axis of the keg. Freedom from such obstruction of the interior is also secured if the cooling conduit or space is on'the inner side of the wall II.

A cooling conduit on the inner side of the wall I. is illustrated by Fig. 3, which shows a lower part of a keg such as shown in Fig. 1, having a cooling conduit formed by a tube Ila extending spirally around the inner side of the inner wall It, the tube being soldered or otherwise-secured to the wall, and the inlet and outlet terminal fittings Ma and 22a extending through the side of the barrel.

in double wall metal beer kegs such as shown, the space between the walls provides dead air heat insulation and sometimes is and sometimes is not packed with suitable material for better insulation. Whether the spaceis so packed or not, the cooling conduit of the new container as illustrated will to a substantial degree he insulated from the outer wall II, but it will be insulated better if the space between it and the outer wall is packed with suitable insulatins material.

While the cooling conduit 2|, when placed on the outer side of the inner wall ll of the keg or other container," is most desirably'soldered or otherwise fastened tcrthe' inner wall, as stated,

' so as to secure better heat conductivity between it and the wall and to hold it in place, the insulatcoiled conduit tube in place and pressed tight against the inner wall so as to be in heat abstracting relation therewith, thereby eliminating the necessity of soldering or welding the conduit to the wall.

While it is most desirable to have the conduit or space for thecirculation of cooling fluid in the form of a conduit extending spirally about the inner wall of the container, rather than to have the circulation space in the form of a wide annular chamber extending circumferentially of the inner container wall, it will be understood that the invention as defined-by the broader claims is not to be limited to a spiral conduit.

What is claimed is:

1. A shipping, cooling and dispensing brew keg of the type comprising an inner metal wall formed of two cup-shaped parts having their edges abutting and welded together and an outer wall spaced oil from the inner wall in heatinsulating relation with respect thereto, having a filling bung hole in its side wall and a draft outlet in its upper double-wall head; having in combination therewith means providing a cooling fluid conduit encircling the lower half of the inner wall and in heat abstracting relation therewith and spaced from the outer well, said conduit having risers extending upward along the inner wall and having coupling connections accessible at the upper head for admission and discharge of cooling fluid.

2. A shipping, cooling and dispensing brew keg of the type comprising an inner metal wall formed of two tapering, cup-shaped parts having their edges abutting and welded together and anouter wall spacedofl from the inner wall in heat-insulating relation with respect thereto, having a filling bung hole in its side wall and a draft outlet in its upper double-wall head; having in combination therewith means providing a generally helical metallic cooling fluid conduit in snug heat conducting engagement with the outer side of thelower halfof the inner wall, said conduit having terminals extending through and clamped to the outer wall of the keg at points .above the midsection thereof for admission of cooling fluid to the coil and discharge of the coolcooling effect ismainly applied at the lower part of the keg but is conducted through an extended area of .the metallic inner wall to effect heat abstraction from the contents of the keg.

3. A shipping, cooling and dispensing brew keg of the type comprising an inner metal wall formed of two cup-shaped parts having their edges abutting and welded together and an outer wall spaced off from the inner wall in heatinsulating relation with respect thereto, having a filling bung hole in its side wall and a draft outlet in its upper double-wall head; having in combination therewith a cooling fluid conduit comprising -a metal tube in snug heat-conducting contact with and encircling the lower part of the inner wall in a plurality of closely spaced convolutions, a riser unitary with said coil extending upward from the upper end of said coil in contact ing material, 1: of suitable mechanical strength with the inner wall ofathe keg and having a terminal accessible at the upper head of the keg.

and a similar riser from the lower end of the coil 1 extending over the convolutions thereof and in contact with the inner wall and having a terminal accessible at the upper head.

4. A. shipping, cooling and dispensing brew keg having-an inner metal wall and an outer metal r 2,249,051 wall spaced oil from the inner wall, the outer wall being formed of two cup-shaped parts and a channel-shaped bilge band provided with passages in its inwardly projecting flanges to which the edges of the cup shaped parts are welded and the edges of which extend inward and bear against the inner wall, having I a cooling fluid conduit formed by a metal tube coiled about and secured heat-conductively to the outer side of the lower part of the inner wall in a plurality of closely spaced convolutions, the ends of the tube extending upward through the passages in the flanges of the bilge band to terminals at the upper head of the keg.

5. A shipping, cooling and dispensing brew keg of the type having an inner metal wall and an outer metal wall spaced oil from the inner wall: having in combination therewith conduit formed by a metal tube coiled in a plurality of convolutions about and secured heatconductively to the outer side of the inner wall and insulated from the outer wall, the lowermost convolution being of diameter smaller than that a cooling fluid hole in its side wall and a draft outlet in its upper double wall head, th upper of said spacers having a pair of passageways therethrough, means providing a cooling fluid conduit encircling the lower half of the inner wall and in heat abstracting relation therewith and spaced from the outer wall, said conduit having risers extending upward along the inner wall through the passageways in theupper of said annular metal spacers and hav- I ing coupling connections through 'the upper head at the portion thereof encircled by said annular metal spacer,-said connection serving for admise sion and discharge of cooling fluid.

7. A shipping, cooling and dispensing brew keg comprising an inner metal wall formed of two cup-shaped parts having their edges abutting of the inner wall directly thereabove, the ends of the tube extending upward along the inner wall to terminals at the upper head of the keg.

6. A shipping, coollng'and dispensing brew keg.

comprising an inner metal wall formed of two cup-shaped parts having their edges abutting .and welded together and an outer wall spaced off from the inner Wall in heat insulating relation with respect thereto and having peripheral annular spacers set between the inner and outer walls at the peripheries of the upper and lower head portions of the walls, having a filling bung and welded together, an outer wall spaced off from the inner wall in heat insulating relation with respect thereto, having a filling bung hole in its side wall and a draft outlet in its upper double wall head, means providing a cooling fluid conduit extending in convolutlons encircling the lower half of the inner wall, insulating material filling the space between the inner and outer metal walls and pressing'the convolutions of the cooling conduit into heat abstracting relation with the inner .wall, said conduit having risers unitary therewith extending upward along the inner wall and in contact therewith, with their upper ends turned inward over the upper head of the inner metal wall and having coupling connections through the upper head of the outer wall for admission and discharge of cooling fluid.

HERMAN E. SCHULSE. 

